


Boys Like Boys

by socialclimb (sunsh1neriptide)



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: High School AU, M/M, i also really love kristin colby, lots of unnecessary partying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 09:26:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15637890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsh1neriptide/pseuds/socialclimb
Summary: Pete has a crush on his straight best friend. Chaos ensues.





	Boys Like Boys

If there was one thing Pete hated more than himself, it was straight boys. Straight boys who didn't love him the way he loved them, and god, Pete kept digging his own grave by falling for them even when he knew damn well that the only thing that would come out of his unrequited attraction was suffering.

And it was even worse when the straight boy in question was one of Pete's closest friends.

They'd be sitting on a balcony smoking cigarettes or walking Pete's dog in the park or just curled up on a couch bingeing Parks and Rec, and Pete had to constantly remind himself that if he made any move whatsoever, he'd fuck up everything and ruin their friendship.

Mikey was saying something, but Pete wasn't listening, because he was busy swooning over some arbitrary feature of the former and daydreaming about what would hypothetically happen if Mikey liked boys at least a little bit.

"Pete," Mikey said, leaning over the lunch table and waving in his friend's face. "Do you copy?"

Pete sat up, and god, all of his blood just rushed straight to his face, but he brushed it off and swatted Mikey's hand away. "What?"

"I said," Mikey sighed, propping his head up with a hand, "there's a party happening this weekend at Frank's, and I want you to come."

"You want me to come."

"You're, like, my best friend." Mikey smiled gently, and Pete's heart skipped a beat. "Is that a yes?"

"Yeah." Pete bit his bottom lip, trying not to let out a stupid lovesick laugh or anything. "I'll come."

"Rad. It wouldn't be the same without you, man." Mikey's smile widened for a second before he plunged into another topic of conversation and Pete pretended to listen again.

It wouldn't be the same without you.

Pete kept thinking of that one phrase for the rest of the week, overanalyzing it in every way possible and somehow trying to twist the perfectly harmless statement into something that said "I'm in love with you and this is me asking you out."

He thought about it so much that by the time Saturday night rolled around and it was time for him to leave, he was actually convinced that something might happen at the party and that this was the night that Mikey would suddenly not be straight. However that would work.

Somebody Pete didn't know opened Frank's door almost immediately after he knocked; it was only nine but the house was already close to packed, and Pete had no idea how he'd even find Mikey in that mess.

With the stress of trying to find Mikey before the night was over and the anxiety of what might happen if he ever even found Mikey and just all of the really weird and irrational thoughts running through his head, Pete found himself by the dining table, where kids had just dumped some stolen bottles from their parents' alcohol stash. The kitchen was way quieter than the living room, but still bursting with tipsy teenagers who didn't feel like dancing.

Pete poured himself a plastic cup of unlabeled liquor when he saw Mikey out of the corner of his eye - his heart fluttered and he took a step forward before Mikey shifted and Pete saw the whole picture.

There was a girl all wrapped up in Mikey's arms, her hands in his hair and his mouth on her face, and Pete didn't want to look but his heavy heart weighed him down.

He honestly didn't know what else he'd been expecting. Mikey was straight, Pete was gay, and that was the way it would be until both of them were dead.

Mikey and the girl disappeared around a corner and Pete turned back to the alcohol table, pouring himself another cup and forcing it down. Fuck Mikey and fuck all of his feelings and fuck being straight or gay or anything, really - all Pete ever did was get his hopes up when he knew that they'd just be broken down in minutes.

He'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt him.

Pete couldn't remember what happened after that - he'd woken up in his own bed the following morning, however, with a splitting headache, a dry throat, and a stupidly broken heart. He rolled over onto his side, groaning when his head throbbed in retaliation to the motion, and then almost fell off the bed when he noticed Mikey lying down on his floor, occupied on his phone.

"Fuck," Pete said, and Mikey looked up. "Fuck, why're you here?"

"I brought you home last night," Mikey responded, pushing himself into a sitting position and cramming his phone into his pocket. "You were shitfaced, dude, I found you puking in the bathroom. I couldn't just leave you."

"Why'd you stay?"

"Because you asked me to." Mikey smiled and Pete pressed his face into his pillow so that he didn't have to see. "And because I care about you. I should honestly get going, though, I was just waiting for you to wake up."

"Where the hell do you have to be on a Sunday?"

"I, uh." Pete heard Mikey shuffle around a little bit before he spoke again. "I'm meeting a girl I hooked up with last night. Her name's Kristin, you know, I think you'd like her a lot. I like her a lot."

Pete rolled back onto his side and rubbed his eyes. "Nice, man. I'm happy for you," he said, but the words tasted sour and he had to force them out of his mouth. Jealousy made Pete sick - it was his least favorite emotion, and he hated the way it tied his stomach in knots and made him hate the people he loved. He hated Mikey for hooking up with Kristin, and he hated Mikey for not liking guys, and he hated Kristin (even though they'd never met) for stealing the boy of his dreams.

"Thanks, that means a lot."

Pete's head hurt and he wasn't sure if it was because of his hangover or the angry tears welling up behind his eyes.

The worst day of Pete's miserable life was the day Mikey told him that Kristin was his girlfriend, and that they did stupid couple things now, like going on dates and kissing in public and calling each other pet names.

Pete should've been happy for his friend. He should've been happy that Mikey had a girlfriend and that they liked each other a hell of a lot, and he really did want to convince himself that this was a good thing, but the truth was that every time Mikey and Kristin even looked at each other, Pete's jealousy came back and stabbed him through the heart.

He never should've fed this stupid infatuation, anyways; he knew that it would never happen, so why was he so intent on having it work out?

A month and a half later, Mikey invited Pete to another party, this time at his place. Kristin wasn't available that night, apparently, and Mikey wanted to spend time with his best friend.

Pete once again found himself convinced that something would happen that night, even though deep down, he knew nothing ever would.

Mikey answered the door once Pete knocked this time, and he already looked a little bit drunk.

"Hey, Pete," he said, ushering his friend inside and slamming the door behind him. "Hey. Hi. You're here."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Pete said, and Mikey laughed, latching onto the former's arm.

"I dunno," Mikey giggled, and that in itself almost made Pete fall down, blinded by his own homosexuality. "I was kinda scared that you wouldn't. But now you're here!"

Pete rubbed Mikey's shoulder affectionately. "I'm here."

The month and a half of hard work Pete had put into trying to get over Mikey outright erased its damn self within the first five minutes of the party. It was just impossible not to fall in love with Mikey Way, especially when he was holding onto your arm and leaning on your shoulder.

Mikey was a happy drunk, and Pete definitely loved the shit out of that - there was nothing more adorable than Mikey dancing around and smiling and laughing and tugging on Pete's hand like a toddler whenever he wanted to go somewhere new.

"I love my room so fucking much," Mikey said once he'd dragged Pete upstairs where it was quiet-ish and into his bedroom; Pete had lost count of the number of times he'd been in there, and he certainly had his fair share of memories in there too, like jumping on the bed when he and Mikey were six or when they were thirteen and accidentally broke Mikey's brother's guitar trying to teach themselves how to play.

"Me too," Pete responded, sitting down on the bed, and Mikey immediately curled up next to him like a cat. "You tired?"

"No," Mikey mumbled, reaching up and wrapping some of Pete's hair around his finger. "'m not sleepy, it's just too loud and I don't like that many people."

"I get you."

"Mhmm." Mikey pushed himself up and pulled Pete closer (by his hair, which was still coiled around Mikey's finger). "I love you a fucking lot."

"I'd love you a lot more if you stopped pulling my hair," Pete said, and Mikey giggled and let go.

"Sorry," he responded, "but it's just you make me confused. You're my best friend forever, Pete, and I love you so much, and sometimes I wanna kiss you but that's not okay."

Pete's heartbeat leaped into his throat and he almost choked on his words before they could leave his mouth. "What?"

"Dumbass. I said you make me confused and sometimes I fall in love with you when I shouldn't." Mikey looked over at Pete with his worried hazel eyes, gripping onto the latter's jeans. "Like now. I'm in love with you."

"You don't like boys," Pete said, the gears in his mind not turning fast enough to process anything, and Mikey leaned in close enough that Pete could feel breathing on his cheek.

"I like you," replied Mikey, his voice low and soft, and Pete actually couldn't breathe when Mikey's lips grazed his jaw. "Pete."

"You can't do this," Pete attempted to cough out, but his brain was melting and the only thing that he could think of at all was Mikey, Mikey's fingers on Pete's leg and on his arm and Mikey's mouth on Pete's face and just Mikey fucking Way. "Mikey, you have a girlfriend. Kristin. She's your girlfriend."

"I like you more," Mikey responded quietly before pressing his lips to Pete's and kissing him slowly.

Mikey pulled away after thirty six seconds (but it wasn't like Pete had been counting or anything) and looked at his friend expectantly.

Scratch that. Who was Kristin? Pete didn't know a Kristin, and neither did Mikey, and the world just didn't exist outside of the bedroom door. The only things that mattered were Mikey pushing Pete down against the mattress, and Pete's hands in Mikey's hair, and the best kisses that Pete had ever experienced in his entire teenage life.

"You love me, too," Mikey said, his face buried in Pete's neck, and Pete couldn't help but grin stupidly.

"Yeah, I do."

Pete felt like he was high, because the only way he'd ever be able to feel that fucking good would be if he were on drugs - Mikey was better than any substance out there.

But highs wear out and nights end and Pete found himself lying awake the following night, feeling dirty and disgusting because Mikey had a girlfriend and Pete should've stopped him. He'd been sober, aware of what was going on, and yet he hadn't done anything.

He assumed Mikey felt the same way, because whenever they ran into each other in the hallways, Mikey always passed by without even saying hi. Pete had to admit that it did hurt a lot, but he deserved it, because he'd turned his best friend into a cheater.

Everything sucked without Mikey around - Pete hadn't noticed how much time he spent with his best friend (and said friend's girlfriend) until Mikey stopped talking to him. It was so bizarre how they'd been friends for literally their entire lives and how making out one time made all of that collapse in on itself.

Pete wished that he'd never gone to that party.

"I haven't seen you in a long time," someone said one day when Pete was dumping his useless shot into his locker; upon turning his head, Pete realized that he was taking to Kristin.

"Yeah," Pete replied, because he didn't really have the energy to spark an entire conversation with his crush's girlfriend. "It has been a while, hasn't it."

"Almost a month." Kristin said, pressing her lips together and leaning against the locker next door - Pete blinked, somehow unable to process the fact that it had nearly been a month since the last time he'd talked to Mikey. And he was still hopelessly in love. "What happened with you and Mikey?"

"I don't really know." Pete bit down on his tongue, because lying always left a disgusting taste in his mouth. "We just fell out, I guess."

Kristin frowned, brushing her hair out of her face. "That's shitty. I liked having you third wheel all the time."

Pete forced a laugh. "Really? I always thought I was being a nuisance and interrupting your dates."

"You kinda were, but we like you, you know? Mikey misses having you around, I can tell." Kristin patted Pete on the shoulder gently. "Look, I'm just going to play platonic matchmaker right now and tell you that you two should get your shit together and reconcile. Everyone was so much happier when you guys were friends, so be friends again, or I'll kick your ass."

Kristin was really cool, and Pete would have to die mad about it. He understood why Mikey liked her so much.

"I'll try my best," Pete said, saluting Kristin, and the latter's gentle smile returned.

"Good," she responded. "I just hate seeing Mikey so upset."

"So do I."

Mikey came up to Pete before Pete could come up to Mikey; he sat down at their "old" lunch table that Pete had since claimed as his private property during lunch the day after Kristin had confronted Pete.

"Hey," Mikey said.

"Hey," Pete responded.

"My brother's hosting another party tonight," Mikey said, drumming his fingers against the table, "and I want to know if it's okay for me to hang out with you instead, 'cause, you know, my house is gonna be filled with sweaty teenagers."

"If I'm being completely honest, I'm fed up with parties." Pete let himself smile a little bit, and he noticed Mikey physically relax himself. "Of course we can hang out."

Mikey nodded swiftly, and he stayed at the table for the rest of the lunch period.

It was easy to climb up onto the roof of Pete's house from his bedroom window, so that's where he and Mikey had decided to hang out.

"I can kinda see my house," Mikey commented, pointing off somewhere in the distance and leaning into Pete's side in the process. "I wonder how much trouble Gerard's gonna get in for fucking shit up once our parents get back."

"You didn't get in trouble last time, did you?" Pete said, wrapping his arm around Mikey's shoulders.

"That's because I was there to help clean up the mess," Mikey replied, "even if I did feel super shitty. But I'm gonna stay here tonight, so Gee's pretty much on his own."

"So does that mean you forgive me?"

Pete felt Mikey's nose brush against his cheek as the latter got comfortable. "You never did anything wrong. It was just me, I guess, I got drunk and fucked everything over."

"I mean," Pete said, "you kind of did. But it's okay, because we're okay now, right?"

"I guess." Mikey brushed his bangs out of his face and curled up tighter. "I should probably explain myself, huh."

"That would be nice."

"Honestly, the only reason why I managed to come up to you again was because Kristin kinda forced me to," Mikey said. "I told her everything. It was kinda just eating me alive."

"Everything."

"Yeah." Mikey hesitated for a second, his breath caught in the gentle breeze that swept by. "We broke up. It was a mutual thing, and we're still friends and shit, but we just thought it might be best if we didn't see each other romantically anymore."

Pete tried his best to not get excited about the news.

"Anyways," Mikey continued, "I realized I never really liked her that much as a girlfriend in the end. She's kickass, but she's not you."

"Me," Pete said, and he really did feel like he was having an out-of-body experience.

"You," Mikey replied. "God. It should've been you instead of her at that first party. I just got scared, and she was there, and I was so confused, because I'm not supposed to like boys the way I like you. And I'm sorry for avoiding you, I was just angry at myself for both cheating and repressing everything, fuck, I'm such a mess. Everything is a mess. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I get it," Pete said, because he did; he'd spent his fair share of sleepless nights crying because he didn't like girls and he didn't know what to do about it, or trying to rearrange his brain and try and convince himself that he was straight, or forcing himself into relationships with girls, because he'd been young and naive and raised in a predominately straight society where being gay was unheard of. His battle with his internalized homophobia was a long one, but he'd made it in the end.

"I know."

It was quiet for a while, the air filled not with talking, but with traffic noise from a nearby highway and insects chirping and the wind rustling the leaves on trees.

"So now what?" Pete said absentmindedly after a minute or two, because he'd been thinking about it and he needed to ruin the moment to ask.

"I don't know," Mikey responded, reaching for Pete's hand and holding it in his. "Whatever needs to happen will in time."

"That's fucking deep," Pete commented, and Mikey let out a short laugh. "I think we should just kiss and get the cliche part over with."

"Fair enough."

It was better this time, because Mikey didn't taste like beer, and the roof may have been less comfortable than a bed but it didn't even matter.

"Love you," Mikey whispered in Pete's ear once he pulled away, resting his head on the latter's shoulder once again.

"You don't have to say it like it's a secret," Pete said, and he couldn't help but grin. "Fucking yell it."

Mikey made an uncertain noise. "What if someone hears me? That's kinda embarrassing."

"Fuck that. Look." Pete cupped his hands around his mouth (one of which Mikey was still clinging onto, for some reason) and yelled, "I, Pete Wentz, am hopelessly in love with Mikey Way and everybody in the world needs to know!"

"Shut up!" Mikey laughed, yanking Pete's hand away from his mouth and holding it to his chest. "Pete!"

"I kissed Mikey twice!" Pete yelled again, despite Mikey's attempts to throw him off of the roof. "I'm gay, and you can fucking die mad about it!"

Mikey kept on laughing, and after a while, he finally started shouting, too, and Pete had really never seen anything more beautiful than that.

"I love you," Pete said, quietly this time, and Mikey beamed at him. God.

"I love you, too."

**Author's Note:**

> this was inspired by girls like girls by hayley kiyoko, and i was trying to make the story match the music video but it just went its own way i guess
> 
> if you didn't think this was horrible, check out my wattpad @yourloosestitch for more petekey content :)


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